Prairie Ridge Middle School

Set in Ankeny, Iowa, Prairie Ridge Middle School is a sizable junior high, run under Ankeny Comm School District. It works with 1,004 students across grades 6 through 7. Compared to the state average of about 400 students per school, that is 151% above typical.

Ankeny Comm School District comprises 18 schools with combined enrollment of 12,746 students; Prairie Ridge Middle School is among them.

On the student-mix side, Prairie Ridge Middle School reports that nearly all students (81%) are White. The remainder looks like 8% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, 4% Black.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 67 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.9:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 15.2:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 18% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Polk County runs at roughly 49%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat below the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Prairie Ridge Middle School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 83.1%; this one delivers 83.6%.

In the surrounding community, Polk County reports that median household income runs about $83,576, roughly 40% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Prairie Ridge Middle School is one of 137 public schools in Polk County (combined enrollment of about 77,436 students).

The closest other public school is Northwest Elementary School, roughly 0.5 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Prairie Ridge Middle School comes 4th of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 81.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count grew 11%: 903 students in 2018 compared to 1,004 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 86% to 81% across the same window. Class-load math has pulled in: from 16.8:1 in 2018 to 14.9:1 in 2025.

On allk12, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.